Stanisław Mieczysław Gebhardt (13 July 1928 – 27 February 2025) was a Polish
resistance fighter, economist, émigré political activist, international social entrepreneur and veteran member of the
Christian democratic movement
The Christian Democratic Movement (, KDH) is a Christian democratic political party in Slovakia that is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and an observer of the Centrist Democrat International
The Centrist Democrat International ...
. After his return to Poland after the
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall (, ) on 9 November in German history, 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions we ...
, he was associated with
centre-right politics
Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalism. Conservative and ...
and regarded as a political historian.
Gebhardt received the
Order of Bernardo O' Higgins.
Background
Gebhardt was born in
Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
, the second child of a Polish Christian army medical officer, also Stanisław Gebhardt, and his wife Henryka, née Welfe. His father died in 1930 as a result of wounds sustained during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and the family moved to
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, where he attended school. After the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he became a
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
and joined the
Szare Szeregi. From 1943, aged 15, he became a partisan member of the
Home Army
The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...
. In 1944 he was arrested by the
Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
and was imprisoned first in
Montelupich Prison
The Montelupich Prison, named for the street on which it is located, the ''ulica Montelupich'' ("street of the Montelupi family"),Ulica Montelupich or "street of the Montelupis" itself is named after the Montelupi manor house (Kamienica (archite ...
, followed by incarceration in
Groß-Rosen and
Mauthausen concentration camp
Mauthausen was a German Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with List of subcamps of Mauthausen, nearly 100 f ...
s. Upon liberation he returned to his home city to resume schooling.
In 1946 he escaped through the old Polish-Romanian border and travelled south to Italy to join the ranks of the
II Corps (Poland) with whom he reached the United Kingdom. The
Polish Resettlement Corps enabled him to complete his school leaving certificate at
Riddlesworth, Norfolk in 1948.
Student politics
In 1951 he became a member of the European Youth Parliament and became active in the International Union of Young Christian Democrats. Two years later
he was awarded a bachelor's degree in economics by the
Polish University Abroad and later attended further courses at
City University London
City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...
. In 1950 he met the young broadcaster journalist, , born in Turkey of Polish parents, who became General Secretary of the Paris-based Youth Section of the Central European Union of Christian Democrats.
He moved to Paris to further his social and political studies at
Sciences Po
Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...
and continue his activism. While in Paris one of his projects was to help re-organise the money supply in the Vietnamese economy. He also tried his hand at broadcast journalism with the Polish section of
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
. In 1956 from his European base, he began his career as an economic adviser working mainly in Latin America and in Ghana.
International activism
From 1954 to 1985 he remained on the committees of the exiled
Stronnictwo Pracy (Labour Party). Between 1962 and 1976 he was engaged in the centre Esperienze Internazionali to study the functioning of democratic systems and international repercussions in Rome. From 1963 to 1972 he was also a director of the International Solidarity Foundation based in Rome.
It gave him the opportunity to collaborate with the émigré Polish statesman and leading Christian democrat,
Karol Popiel.
In 1964 when his friend
Jerzy Kulczycki, founded the émigré publishing house, ''Odnowa'', in London he invited Gebhardt to become a director of the company with the brief to finance and distribute in Poland titles banned under state censorship. The operation proved a success exporting to the then communist country forbidden authors, including
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
,
Józef Garliński, Karol Popiel and
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański.
As Polish representative of political organisations Gebhardt entered the international arena of Christian Democrat activism and in his youth worked alongside statesmen such as
Robert Schuman
Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman (; 29 June 1886 – 4 September 1963) was a Luxembourg-born France, French statesman. Schuman was a Christian democrat, Christian democratic (Popular Republican Movement) political thinker and activist. ...
.
In 1990 in
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
he was appointed vice president of the Christian Democratic Union of Central Europe, a position he held for four years. In 1991 at the Brussels convention he was appointed vice president of the
Christian Democrats International.
Return to democratic Poland
On his return to Poland in 1990 he was involved in the reactivated "
Stronnictwo Pracy 1989", whose vice president he became. In 1995 he was made vice president of
Ruch Odbudowy Polski. In 1994 he became president of the
Ignacy Paderewski Foundation to Rebuild Democracy and Head of the Silesian Development Corporation.
In June 2020 the Polish Culture minister,
Piotr Gliński appointed him chair of the Programmes Committee of the
Institute for Legacy of Polish National Thought.
Personal life and death
Gebhardt was married three times. The first two marriages produced a son each, and the last, two sons. Gebhardt died on 27 February 2025, at the age of 96.
Distinctions
* In 1989 president
Ryszard Kaczorowski (
Polish government-in-exile
The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...
) promoted him to
Second lieutenant of the
Polish Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (, ; abbreviated SZ RP), also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called in Poland (, roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviated ''WP''), are the national Military, armed forces of the Poland, ...
* In 1990 he was made a knight of the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...
* In 2016 president
Andrzej Duda
Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...
made him a commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta
* Medal
Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis
* On 3 May 2023 President Duda awarded him Poland's highest and oldest decoration, the
Order of the White Eagle
Other decorations:
*
Order of Bernardo O'Higgins
The Order of Bernardo O'Higgins () is an award issued by Chile. It is the highest civilian honor awarded to non-Chilean citizens. This award was established in 1965 and named after one of the founders of the Chilean state, the independentist gener ...
Chile
*
Order of the Liberator Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
*
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
(Commendatore) Italy
*
Krzyż Walecznych
The Cross of Valour () is a Polish military decoration. It was introduced by the Council of National Defense (Poland), Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage ...
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
*
Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami Poland
*
Krzyż Armii Krajowej Poland
*
Medal Wojska Poland
References
Bibliography
* Aldrich, Richard J. (1997). 'OSS, CIA and European unity: The American committee on United Europe, 1948–60'. ''Diplomacy and Statecraft''. 8:1, 184 — 227. DOI: 10.1080/09592299708406035 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09592299708406035
* Gebhardt, S. (2008). 'Democratici democristian e riflessioni' (Demochristian Democrats reflections). pl.it – ''rassegna italiana di argomenti polacchi''. vol. 2. pp. 652–663. Associazione Italiana Polonisti (AIP). (in Italian)
* Gebhardt S. (2018). 'The Christian Democratic Union of Central Europe'. in Kosicki P., Łukasiewicz S. (ed.) ''Christian Democracy Across the Iron Curtain''. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64087-7_15
*
External links
Polish Exhibition on Robert Schuman and his mission, with a group photograph, from a 1957 convention, featuring Schuman and Gebhardt in the first row.*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gebhardt, Stanislaw
1928 births
2025 deaths
Polish resistance members of World War II
Gross-Rosen concentration camp survivors
Mauthausen concentration camp survivors
20th-century Polish politicians
Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
International finance economists
People from Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939)
Labor Party (Stronnictwo Pracy) politicians
Alumni of City, University of London
Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Officers of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
Recipients of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
Sciences Po alumni